Obama Tries To Sway Marijuana Voters, Marijuana Voters Toss Him The Finger

Obama’s Campaign Ad Is Seen As A Slap In The Face By Marijuana Supporters

Without question marijuana has been the topic of discussion banging on the doors of the White House for the past few years. With President Obama allowing more raids of medical marijuana dispensaries and patients that George W. Bush did in his eight-year term, marijuana patients, advocates, and all-around freedom fighters are sick and tired of being thrown under the bus.

Outside of topics regarding marijuana, the Obama campaign (in my opinion) has done a pretty good job framing their issues in a way that results in positive feedback from targeted constituents. So it was quite surprising to see Obama come out with a video a few days ago targeting the marijuana crowd in hopes of garnering more votes for his campaign. Not only does the video send the message that everyone who smokes marijuana is a stoner who just sits around watching cartoons all day while eating junk food, it sends the message that Obama has no idea who he is mocking on national TV.

President Obama’s Video:

The intelligent, fast acting, politically savvy individuals that make up Students for Sensible Drug Policy alumni put together a video rebuttal to Obama’s attempt at lassoing marijuana voters.  From the Huffington Post:

President Barack Obama’s new ad featuring stoner duo Harold and Kumar drew accusations of hypocrisy on Tuesday from critics who note that the beloved potheads could easily be arrested under the White House’s current drug policy. Now drug policy reformers are out with a parody ad that depicts what might actually happen if the president spontaneously dialed up a pair of marijuana users to ask for their support.

While the president’s original ad was meant to promote the appearance at the Democratic National Convention of actor Kal Penn, a former White House staffer who plays the character of Kumar in the eponymous film series “Harold and Kumar,” pot advocates saw an opportunity to hammer the president for his marijuana policy.

“Shaleen called me about how irate she was at the Obama campaign video and that she had this idea for a parody,” said Chris Wallis of Side Pocket Images who helped produce the video. “We hope we made the message clear that for a lot of people this isn’t a laughing matter, and I think the internet’s response to the video proves that.”

SSDP video:

The video does an AMAZING job by pointing out all of the petitions that have been crafted by serious drug policy reformers, and signed by REAL voters. Time and time again petitions submitted via Youtube, Reddit, and even Whitehouse.gov have topped the list of topics that the American public wishes Obama would address. Time and time again, President Obama has failed to address any of these questions, and now he thinks making a mockery of marijuana reform is going to easily win him some votes. We are here to say, “NOT TODAY PRESIDENT OBAMA.” We are not dumb, blind, or ignorant to the rhetoric you spew through offensive campaign ads. We will not let down our guard to be persuaded by fictional “stoners” to cast our vote for someone who refuses to end the prohibition of marijuana.

Over 800,000 people are arrested every year under the current administration that continues to wage a failed war on drugs. Is this change? Is this really a step forward?

Are you pissed off yet? We thought you might be, because we certainly are.

TAKE ACTION NOW! If you want the President to earn your vote, tweet this:
@barackobama @kalpenn @johnthecho It takes more than lame jokes to earn votes. It takes action. Change the marijuana laws. #EarnMyVote

Be sure to check out Students for Sensible Drug Policy to get involved and stay informed about how YOU can help these students and alums make a difference in ending the failed war on drugs in America. www.ssdp.org

Follow me on Twitter @SeriouslySamuel

Published with special permission from the National Cannabis Coalition